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Hermanus hosted a very special event on Saturday 29 October when the well-travelled youth orchestra from The Hall Boys Preparatory School, London, gave a concert in our Municipal Auditorium. Even more exciting is the fact that Enlighten Education Trust’s own Youth Orchestra joined them in its debut public appearance.

The concert was a huge success, with members of the audience sitting on the steps in the Auditorium as well as crowded in the entrance doorway. The children were given several standing ovations. No tickets were sold, but the audience was invited to make donations, if they so wished. In all, over R8 000 was collected.

Thanks to a generous donation from local resident, Mrs Elvia Bury, in memory of her late husband, Alex, the Enlighten Strings Ensemble was launched by Enlighten in October 2015, with 12 children from our six local primary schools. The commitment of this small group has resulted in impressive progress, as it demonstrated to great acclaim during the Hermanus FynArts Festival in June this year. With the inclusion of several other young musicians, it has now morphed into a full-scale Youth Orchestra, of which Hermanus can be truly proud.

Music can be a lonely road, but great friends from a variety of backgrounds can be made when playing and practising together. The EET Youth Orchestra aims to provide young people from all the Overstrand communities with this opportunity, and at the same time, to develop a love of music and the skill to make it live for others.

The Youth Orchestra is a project of the Hermanus Academy of Music (HAM), which, in turn, is a project of Enlighten’s extensive Music Department. The aim of this school is to offer learners of the Overstrand, especially those from its disadvantaged communities, music tuition at either no cost at all, or at a minimal rate. HAM has produced UNISA and ABRSM candidates and its students have won a number of awards over the past four years, including several from the International Marimba and Steelpan Festival held in Gauteng and the annual Artscape Youth Music Festival.

According to Enlighten’s Music Co-ordinator, Anna-Marié Kotzé, the Music Department is running at full capacity, but auditions for study in 2017 will take place in December this year. HAM offers tuition in pianoforte, voice (under 16 years of age), keyboard, theory, with limited space for violin and cello. Enquiries: Enlighten Tel. 028 3130974.